UADs Paradise Guitar Studio

[zerocrossing]

I’ve been able to replace some TONEX instances with UA’s models of the same amps, and after a bit of knob twiddling I got results that were practically indistinguishable from what I got from TONEX, but with the added benefit of being able to keep going and refine the tone further.

I've said this for a long time, but in general I'm almost always able to get a model to sound as good as a good Tonex capture. I think the hype about Tonex is... perhaps overstated. Not that it's bad. There are a bunch of Tonex captures that I love and have become go-to solutions for some sounds, but if you know what you're doing and have a good model, you can always get results that are as good as Tonex, IMO. I mostly use it to get novel amp sounds from more rare amps that haven't been modeled.

I personally passed on Paradise, for the time being. Not because I didn't think it was great, but I suspected I wouldn't use it as much as my tried-and-true solutions. I did buy Mixwave's JHS Loud Is More Good bundle, though. The amp isn't my favorite, but the pedals... love. That Hard Drive emulations sounds so special to me.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Well, based on the opinions in this topic and contributions, I would only add that since TH-U 2.0.9 by OverLoud (December 16, 2025) added AIR (Amp In Room) Immersive cabinets, TH-U is even better than UAD Studio. Here's the video:

I guess it's a matter of taste, but that sounds really artificial to me. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it makes me think, "what's that guitar sound being processed with?" Like some sort of combo of compander and exciter... hard to express. It's what's always bothered me about the TH-U amp modelers.

Paradise does have some of that room convolution as well. It's not very controllable, but it's pretty effective. I'll still stand by Amplitube as having the best room convolution of any amp modeler. Good number of room types and a way to spread the mics for a wider effect. It's so good, I generally use it as my reverb for a lot of my sounds.

I've tried it out a few times and it just seems like a room IR versus anything magical. It's sometimes nice to have some room IR mixed in of course. But I didn't suddenly feel like I was experiencing an amp in the room. More like a recording of an amp with some room. Big difference.

My only real complaint, therefore, is the marketing language.

[Uncle E]

I could be wrong, but I believe the UA is actually an impulse of the particular speaker being used, not a clean room IR that is being applied to the speaker. So when you turn up the room, you’re crossfading between the two impulses.

[zerocrossing]

Well, based on the opinions in this topic and contributions, I would only add that since TH-U 2.0.9 by OverLoud (December 16, 2025) added AIR (Amp In Room) Immersive cabinets, TH-U is even better than UAD Studio. Here's the video:

I guess it's a matter of taste, but that sounds really artificial to me. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it makes me think, "what's that guitar sound being processed with?" Like some sort of combo of compander and exciter... hard to express. It's what's always bothered me about the TH-U amp modelers.

Paradise does have some of that room convolution as well. It's not very controllable, but it's pretty effective. I'll still stand by Amplitube as having the best room convolution of any amp modeler. Good number of room types and a way to spread the mics for a wider effect. It's so good, I generally use it as my reverb for a lot of my sounds.

I've tried it out a few times and it just seems like a room IR versus anything magical. It's sometimes nice to have some room IR mixed in of course. But I didn't suddenly feel like I was experiencing an amp in the room. More like a recording of an amp with some room. Big difference.

My only real complaint, therefore, is the marketing language.

A good rule of thumb is to always take marketing with a few grains of salt. A childhood of being disappointed by the prize in cereal boxes has left me mostly immune.

[zerocrossing]

Here’s where I’d love to see Paradise go. Make it a real Amplitude/Helix Native style plugin, with a wider variety of gear. I’m going to need at least a volume pedal, a few wah emulations, fuzz, drive, and post cab “studio effect,” for this to be a true go-to solution for me. Quality is better than quantity, of course, but I’d like every major type of guitar gear represented. They’re off to a good start, but it’s not there yet. Not for me.

[zvenx]

...
I’m pretty impressed with UA’s modeling. Like I’ve said before, I think they’re using machine learning. I’ve been able to replace some TONEX instances with UA’s models of the same amps, and after a bit of knob twiddling I got results that were practically indistinguishable from what I got from TONEX, but with the added benefit of being able to keep going and refine the tone further.
....

Any audio of this we can hear?
rsp

[GreyLion]

Here’s where I’d love to see Paradise go. Make it a real Amplitude/Helix Native style plugin, with a wider variety of gear. I’m going to need at least a volume pedal, a few wah emulations, fuzz, drive, and post cab “studio effect,” for this to be a true go-to solution for me. Quality is better than quantity, of course, but I’d like every major type of guitar gear represented. They’re off to a good start, but it’s not there yet. Not for me.

I'm gonna be surprised if they leave this money on the table. I can't see them failing to integrate their other guitar pedals and fx into it. For a price, of course. They've already got the code and demonstrated that they can do it, what with the ones that are already in it.

I'm a willing victim for that kind of greed.

[havran]

To people who already owned Paradise Guitar Studio:

Did Enigmatic '82 get added to that for free?

[aMUSEd]

Yes (but you don't get the standalone version)

[aMUSEd]

I still wish it had more modulation fx

[jens]

To people who already owned Paradise Guitar Studio:

Did Enigmatic '82 get added to that for free?

I don't own Paradise myself, but fwiw I think I can answer your question nonetheless: t's been already included since when Paradise first got released.

[jamcat]

To people who already owned Paradise Guitar Studio:

Did Enigmatic '82 get added to that for free?

It was already there, but already owning PGS doesn’t get you the new Enigmatic ‘82 plugin for free. A big part of Universal Audio’s business model is selling you stuff you’ve already bought over and over again.

[Uncle E]

I still wish it had more modulation fx

They're not going to add anything that isn't already in one of the pedals. The only hope for getting more is if they release a pedal with a new effect.

[aMUSEd]

I still wish it had more modulation fx

They're not going to add anything that isn't already in one of the pedals. The only hope for getting more is if they release a pedal with a new effect.

There are already FX in PAradise that I can’t see available as UA pedals like the pitch delay. Mostly I am missing a decent phaser

[Uncle E]

Good point about the pitch delay. It comes with a Phase 90, do you mean you'd prefer something different?